Demon Attack
by thecontrastingreapers
Summary: William and Grell are working together on an assignment in a dark area of London, where events soon turn darker than the scenery, leaving one of the pair in a fatal position... Set over the course of about two days, contains violence, pain and some form of character death. (The main Shinigami are involved)
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

I woke at six in the morning. For a while I just lay there, listening to the birds. I turned onto my other side and found Will sat in the chair by my bed, sleeping soundly, having fallen asleep there last night. I reached out and took hold of his hand, lacing my fingers with his. He woke up and looked at me, a small smile tugging at his lips.  
"Good morning, darling" he mumbled.  
I pushed my glasses back up my nose properly and let go of his hand. I could still hear the birdsong outside. Upon seeing Will shivering in his thin pyjamas, I pulled the bedcovers back, gesturing at him to join me. He did so happily, turning me onto my other side so he could spoon with me while we listened to the birds quietly.  
"It's lovely, isn't it?" he whispered, nibbling the top of my ear.  
I shuddered. "Beautiful…"  
He bit harder, his warm breath tickling me. I clung to his hand, carefully moving my head away from his mouth.  
"Not now… listening… birds" I muttered.  
Will respected what I wanted and just cuddled me carefully in silence.

I went back to sleep when the birds stopped tweeting, only to be woken again at seven-fifteen.  
"Will, let me sleep…"  
"Grell, we have to go to work"  
I sighed and let him drag me out of bed. At least we had crumpets in the kitchen.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

William and I were working together on what was apparently a big and important assignment. We were in an area I had not visited before. It was quite spooky and I held my scythe close protectively.  
"Don't go wandering off" Will said quietly. "Demons are always lurking round this area. Fight back if one attacks you. Kill them if need be"  
I nodded, shuddering at the atmosphere surrounding the large, dark estate. I knew our list was plentiful and we had been told it would take up most, if not all, of our shift.  
There was a sudden crash in one of the alleyways behind us.  
"What was that?" I squeaked, jumping.  
"Sh, it was nothing. Come on: we have two souls to collect now"  
I followed him upstairs in one of the dreary buildings. We had to hide when we reached the right room as the scene unfolded before our eyes. There was no dialogue to the event. Two middle aged men mirrored one another as they held a gun to the others chest. There was a blurry silence as their fingers simultaneously pulled the triggers, the two shots puncturing the men's chests as their bodies fell to the floor, their blood drenching the dark wood floor, a sight that shocked me a little.  
"Alright, come on" Will said, moving forward quickly and brandishing his scythe at one of the dying men. "Grell!"  
I snapped out of my current state and swung my scythe at the other, jumping as the record sprung from his body. It took me a minute to make up my mind and collect the soul, falling back as the last negative of film entered my scythe.  
"Outside" William said, helping me to my feet.  
I followed, glance round somewhat nervously. It was dark, even in the daytime, and I was glad Will had convinced me to wear my dark coat and not my red one.

We were walking round when there was another crash, a scream, a snarl, and then silence.  
"Will…?" I said uneasily.  
He closed the To-Die book in his hands and gestured for me to follow him. We entered the alleyway and all of a sudden there was another snarl and a large, dark creature flew at me. I flinched in fear and all of a sudden the Demon yelled, his impact having been blocked by the blade in my hands. Will went to interfere but I started fighting the creature properly, only to find out he was a lot stronger than I was. I lost sight of Will as I fought, trying my best to fend off the predator. It wasn't long before I was knocked to the ground. The shadow of a being lunged at me, going in for the kill when Will came onto the scene out of nowhere, throwing the Demon against a wall, grabbing me and throwing my into a doorway roughly.  
"Stay there!" he ordered, turning and returning to the fight.  
I waited, trembling in shock. There was a dying cry and silence fell again.  
I heard heavy footsteps and tried to hide just in case, but the hands that cupped my face were familiar and gentle.  
"It's ok, it's just me" Will said, helping me to my feet. "You did well. He's gone now"  
I nuzzled into him for a moment before he said we needed to get on.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

It was a busy morning and the things we witnessed were not exactly pleasant. For the first time in quite a while I was in constant fear and as it got even darker I found my vision blurring.  
"Will?" I whimpered. "I'm scared. Really scared…"  
"Alright… come on, be -" He was cut off by a loud snarl.  
All of a sudden a Demon had him pinned against a wall while another threw me down. My adrenaline kicked in and my only though was that I needed to save Will, which I did, continuing to battle once he was free.  
"Grell!" he shouted. "You're doing well; Stay here, keep fighting! Someone will be with you shortly, ok!?"  
He ported and I shrieked as more devils turned up, surrounding me on a highly unfair ratio. I held my chainsaw up, barricading myself. I had to cause a lot of injuries before someone else turned up. It was Alan. He was very good, managing to fight off a handful of predators in a minute or so.

For a while we managed, until the Reaper: Demon ratio outnumbered us so unfairly it was like sending a lone soldier to battle against an army. A majority were violently hurt – a lot by Alan – until there were only six left, five regular and a huge Demon which seemed to appear out of nowhere. I was so occupied with the biggest Demon that it took me a while to realise that the other five had ganged up on Alan, and they were wearing him down.  
"Alan!" I cried, rushing to his aid.  
I did what Will had done for me, warding off the attackers, grabbing Alan and forcing him into a doorway at safe distance.  
"Stay there, Alan! I'll handle this!"  
"But Grell! You -"  
"Please, st – aah!"  
I got them as far away from Alan as I could, defeating half of them on the way.  
With lots of effort and the consequence of some terrible wounds inflicted on me, I got down to the last Demon, the largest and strongest. This was where everything went rapidly downhill. Alan tried again to help but I shouted at him to stay where he was and keep himself safe. I had next to no energy left and was falling weak. It was even a struggle to get back to my feet every time I was knocked down. Everything was a blur of blood and I knew I wouldn't last much longer, but that wouldn't make me give up. If the Demon defeated me, it would get Alan, and I wasn't even about to let that happen.

I could be quite good with my fists and feet, but against a raging true-form Demon, that was useless, so once my scythe had been knocked out of reach, I was powerless.  
The ground was cold; the rain pouring down added to it, and the blood soaking my body was a warm contrast. There was nothing I could do now. I was defeated. The Devil loomed above me, readying himself to give the final, fatal blow. At least Alan was safe. Thinking about it, I had no regrets. At least, nothing I could think of. I didn't want to die, but at least I would be leaving at a good time. I closed my eyes and took one last deep breath before everything fell black and silent.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

"Mr Spears!"  
I spun round, looking at the other Reaper.  
"What is it?" I asked urgently. "Did the stronger reinforcements get there in time?"  
"Sort of. Well, yes, but…" The other stuttered, trailing off.  
"But what? What happened?"  
"Sir, you should go down to the infirmary. It's Grell"

I felt sick as I looked at Grell. Tears welled in my eyes as I looked at his poor blood-stained body, lying there still and silent in a horrible Demon-beaten state.  
"Wake up" I begged, clinging to him. "Please wake up. You can't die. You can't leave me"  
A squeak escaped my throat. I could feel his pulse, could hear his rasping, struggled breathing.  
"I shouldn't have left you" I whispered.  
I looked at his poor face and gasped silently as his eyes opened. He didn't say anything and his eyes closed again after a few seconds. There was a hand on my shoulder.  
"Sir? We need to get him cleaned up and everything. Why don't you go to the side room office? Mr Slingby is in there with Alan"  
Alan. I'd forgotten about him. I needed to talk to him.

Alan was sat on the bed in the side office, his head against Eric's chest. He looked up when I entered the room.  
"It's all my fault" he whispered. "I didn't mean for him to get hurt, but I couldn't fight them and he hid me in a doorway and said I had to stay there. He saved me, but I couldn't save him"  
Eric squeezed his shoulder and I sat on Alan's other side.  
"This wasn't your fault" I said, trying to stop my voice from shaking. "This was an unfortunate incident with a lot of bloody Devils"  
"But… I still feel like I'm responsible" Alan mumbled.  
"Poor kid" Eric said. "Terrible sight when we got there. It was a good thing we got there when we did"  
"Alan, are you hurt?" I asked, suddenly even more worried.  
He shook his head.  
"We checked him over" Eric told me. "Nothing serious"  
I breathed out in relief. "Good"  
Ronald suddenly burst into the room, looking panicked with tears in his eyes.  
"What happened!?" he shouted. "Everyone has been talking about it! They said Devils attacked Grell and Alan!"  
"Ronald!" I snapped. "Calm down. Luckily Alan is fine. Grell has -"  
"I have to see him!" he interrupted. "They said I couldn't but I need to!"  
"Shut up Ronald!" Eric barked. "We're all worried enough as it is without _you _making a fuss"  
Tears welled in Ronald's eyes. "But what if he _dies_!? The last thing I said was 'see you tomorrow'. What if he doesn't have a tomorrow? What if-"  
"Ronald!" I shouted. "Be quiet, now!"  
He fell against me, whimpering softly. I sighed in annoyance, not quite having the heart to shove him away as I was on the brink of tears myself.  
"It would be my fault" Alan whimpered, starting to cry.  
Eric held him close, rubbing his back gently.  
"Aw hell, you'll set me off" Eric mumbled.  
I nodded, holding tight to the blond in my arms. I stopped holding the tears once Eric started. It was odd seeing him cry and I could tell he thought the same about my watering eyes. Alan was the worst, but we were all feeling the dread he was showing.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Grell had woken up once we were allowed to see him. He'd been nearly fully undressed and was covered in cuts and bruises.  
"Look at the state you're in" I said softly, stroking his hair gently, which was still damp from having the blood washed out of it.  
All four of us hugged him, careful so as not to hurt him.  
"You're going to be fine" I said. "We'll take you home and look after you soon. No one is here to hurt you. You're safe now"  
We let him lay back down and talked to him softly; Myself and Eric telling him how well he had done against the demons, Ronald trying to make him laugh and Alan apologising again. None of us got a reaction out of him: he lay in silence, not moving aside from blinking and shaking.  
"I think it's time to get you home" I said, going to lift him up from the bed.  
"Uh, William? You're injured. I'll take him" Eric said. "We'll have to warm him up once we get back to yours. His clothes were ruined. Basically ripped to shreds"  
"Can I come?" Ronald and Alan asked in unison.  
We had to let them.

Grell still remained silent as we got him into bed. Even Eric could not get him to speak. I kept stroking his hair firmly, trying to disguise that I was shaking nervously.  
"Please talk to us" Ronald begged, clinging to his hand. "I've got to go soon. Please, talk!"  
"Don't force him" Alan said. "He'll speak when he's ready"  
Both of them were still in tears.  
"I knew I should have fought them better" Alan whispered.  
"It was not your fault" I said. "You were vastly outnumbered"  
Grell whimpered softly, reaching out for my hand.  
"I-I'm sorry" he whispered, tears dripping down his face. "I thought I'd be able to manage…"  
"Hey, don't cry, little Red" Eric said. "You did fine. And you saved Alan too"  
Alan nodded, wriggling his way under Eric's arm.  
"You did better than a lot of us could have" Ronald said. "I wish I could stay, but I'm meant to be helping at the dispatch tonight. I'll see you tomorrow"  
He ported quickly, leaving us four together.  
"Eric?" Grell whispered. "Could you help me to sit up please?"  
Eric did so, trying to stay composed at the groans of pain from Grell.  
"You're ok" he said, sitting beside Grell and pulling Alan down with him.  
I sat on Grell's other side, holding him close.  
"We'll keep you off work for a while" I told him. "And you, Alan"  
Alan looked at me, shaking his head.  
"Alan, you've had a shock today. It will be best if you take at least one day off the recover from it. Eric can stay with you if you'd prefer, seeing as I myself shall be working from home to care for Grell"  
Alan nodded a little. "Ok, as long as Eric's with me. I can do my work from home too"  
"No, you need at least twenty-four hours pure rest, Alan Humphries" I said firmly.  
"Can they stay here then?" Grell asked.  
I sighed. "I don't know. Where would they sleep, for a start? It's highly-"  
"We both have beds" he interrupted. "Alan could stay with me and Eric… could share with you"  
I stared at him. Eric started to laugh, his eyes screwed shut.  
"Oh my!" he laughed. "Can't turn down that now, can we?"  
I frowned. "That is not happening. Never"  
I meant it.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

I set a barricade of pillows through the middle of the bed, cutting off any chance of bodily-Eric-contact.  
"You're so boring, Spears" Eric sighed. "Scared of brushing your precious hands against me, are we?"  
"Shut up, Slingby" I snapped. "I'm only agreeing to this because Grell wanted yourself and Alan to stay here"  
"Do you barricade yourself from him when he sleeps in here?"  
"That's a completely different situation"  
We were both quiet for a while, until an odd familiar snuffling met my ears, followed by a not so familiar snuffling. Sighing, I climbed out of bed.  
"Hey, where you going?"  
"Are you deaf or just plain stupid?" I sighed. "Surely you can hear them?"

Having never done so before, I let Eric comfort Alan while I tried to calm Grell down. He settled rather quickly, coughing and whining as I held him.  
"Gosh, it's like having kids!" exclaimed Eric, ruffling Alan's hair.  
"Maybe a little…" I agreed, kissing Grell gently.  
"I'm hungry" he mumbled, whimpering a little as he adjusted his position.  
"I knew I'd forgotten something" I frowned. "Alan, why don't you and Grell try to calm down and I'll get you both something to eat"  
"And what exactly do you intend on feeding them?" Eric frowned. "You do know they were attacked by demons today: they'll still be in shock"  
I narrowed my eyes at him. "The good Lord allowed us to discover tomato soup for that reason"

Eric sat at the kitchen table, watching me cook.  
"You know" he said after a minute or so. "You're really different here than you are at work"  
I frowned. "After today, I doubt you're getting an accurate depiction"  
"Perhaps not, but I can tell that you really do love Grell, don't you?"  
We were both silent for a few minutes after that. I concentrated on getting the food ready for Grell and Alan, not sure what to say.  
"Sorry… I didn't mean to upset you or nothing"  
I shook my head. "You didn't… I'm just focusing on other things at the moment"  
"…You do love him, don't you?"  
"Of course I do. You love Alan, don't you?" I nodded, setting the bowls of soup and a plate of buttered bread down on a wooden tray.  
Eric followed me back to the bedroom, helping the two bruised reapers to sit up. Grell groaned in pain, losing his breath a little. I set the tray down carefully over their knees.  
"Both of you have had a shock today and you need to keep your strength up. Eat"  
"I-uh, well…" Alan stammered, glancing at the bread and soup.  
Grell ignored us and started eating but Alan refused to touch it.  
"Don't be such a baby, Alan" Eric frowned at him.  
"I'm not! I just don't feel like eating" he said, obviously hurt.  
We could see he was welling up. Eric grabbed a spoon, holding it in front of him.  
"Now open your mouth" he ordered.  
Alan did as he was told, allowing himself to be fed before taking the spoon from Eric.  
"Fine, I'll eat then"  
I looked back to Grell. He'd fallen back against the pillows, clutching at his stomach.  
"Grell? Are you ok?" I asked, concerned, moving round to sit beside him.  
"It hurts… I feel weak" he mumbled.  
"Here, let me help you" I said, taking the spoon from him.  
"Feeling broody are we?" Eric grinned, making Alan smile a little.  
I ignored him and focused on helping Grell, who was looking at nothing through narrowed, sleepy eyes, letting me assist him as he was so weak.  
"He's completely out of it, isn't he?" Eric sighed, reaching gently to take Grell's hand in his. "All this stress has taken its toll on him"  
Grell started whimpering again, wriggling as tears spilled from his eyes.  
"Sh, calm down now" I said, trying in vain to calm him down.  
"Uh, I'll take this out" Eric said, standing and taking hold of the tray.  
I nodded my thanks, pulling Grell closer for a hug.  
"Are you sure he's ok?" Alan asked quietly, his voice shaken. "He is so terribly hurt. If he's like me he'll still be a little scared from today. It's my fault he's like this…"  
"Alan, no" I said, eying his quivering lips. "Don't cry"

Eric was a little surprised to see me holding both the crying reapers. I raised my eyebrows at him, gesturing for him to help, which he did in his own way, wrapping his arms round all three of us. I could not really push him away, and it was helping Alan calm down at least.  
"I'm not used to this" Eric frowned.  
"M-me neither" Alan stammered, voice muffled. "C-crying is giving me a headache"  
We were quiet for a moment whilst they both stopped crying completely and settled down again,  
"I don't like this" Eric said, breaking the silence. "It's all weird and twisted like. Us reapers don't _cry_. And this sorta stuff doesn't happen. It's just…"  
"The world's misfortune"  
Alan lay down again, his hand clasped in Eric's. Grell copied, his hand reaching up to play with the skull bead at the side of his glasses chain. It suddenly hit me that this was not the Grell I had fallen in love with, not really. He had changed a lot since we had been together, since I'd told him how I felt. I suppose the changes had been so minor I had not really noticed. Somehow, all those little changes had dragged me deeper into him.  
I cupped his face in my hand and kissed his lips gently, even though we were being watched. He was too weak to kiss back but I tried not to take it to heart. I sat back and rested my hand gently on his stomach. He screamed at my contact, his hands flying to his mouth in an attempt to muffle it, his back arching in agony. I quickly moved my hand to find blood showing through his nightshirt.  
Eric stood up frantically, leaning over Alan who was now on his hand and knees, having jumped to the position in shock, terror reflected in his eyes.  
"Undo his shirt!" Eric ordered, trying to be heard above Grell's cries of pain.  
I ripped it open quickly, bursting some of the buttons in the process and quickly located the source of the problem: a thick scar running across the lower part of his stomach.  
"I never thought I'd have to witness this again" Eric said grimly. He turned his attention to address Grell. "This is gonna be unpleasant. We gotta do it or it could get even worse. You'll be in a lot of pain but you gotta be brave. Think you can handle it?"  
Grell nodded bravely though he was starting to hyperventilate.  
"Uh, Alan, William, why don't'cha hold his hands. Comfort him a little"  
Eric took a deep breath and placed a strong hand on Grell's shoulder, holding him down and quickly slit his thumbnail across the scar, splitting it open. Grell screamed and screamed, clinging to us in agony, writhing so much that Eric had to press his other hand to Grell's jutting hipbone to force him down. Blood began gushing up from the wound onto his stomach and chest, moving off its own free will and forming some sort of pattern. The edges remained smooth, not blurring even as Grell choked on his screams. The three of us stared at what had clearly appeared on the body before us – A Demon's Contract Seal.  
"I've seen that seal before!" Alan shrieked. "I remember it!"  
"So have I. I can't remember where, but once we find who this belongs to we will know who it was that did this to my Grell" I growled.  
Eric removed trembling hands from Grell, who shot up, coughing, and blood splattered from his mouth, soaking the bed sheets and splitting into the seal. At each new flow of blood from pale lips the same thing happened.  
All energy drained from him, he fell back heavily, barely blinking as his head smacked against the wood of the bed, the seal printed on his torso looking more violent than before.  
"We need to get rid of it! We need to erase it all!" Alan wailed, wiping the tears from his face.

The seal seemed to be a part of him. We couldn't shift it and he was growing weaker by the minute.  
"I know who will know who this was" I said. "Eric, we need to get dressed. Alan, you need to as well. Stay and keep an eye on Grell as you do so"  
"But I-"  
We weren't listening.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Eric and I were ready and dressed within a couple of minutes. Alan had only got his shirt and trousers on but we had no time to wait around for him. I carefully wrapped Grell in a blanket and lifted him up, knowing he was too weak to stand. Eric grabbed hold of Alan – who had now got his shoes on – and grabbed my hand.  
"Port us to wherever ya need to. We need to come too"  
I nodded and squeezed his hand tight.

I knocked firmly at the door of the Undertaker's parlour, now cradling Grell in both arms. There was a strange familiar cackle from inside telling us to enter, which we did quickly, escaping from the cold of the late hour.  
"Well if it isn't my William T Spears!" Undertaker snickered. "And you're with Eric and Alan too! Heh, has our little crimson fallen asl-"  
"Undertaker, we need your help" I interrupted.  
"Oh yes?" he grinned, looking at us from his one meter distance. "Well, you do know the price for that, don't you?"  
He stepped forwards, the grin dropping from his face as he saw Grell's pale face, still soaked with sweat and tears.  
"This way" he said, taking Grell from me and gesturing at us to follow him.

Undertaker took us to his bedroom at the back of the building and set Grell down on the bed, keeping the blanket tight round him.  
"We have a few questions" I said.  
"Don't we have to make you laugh?" Alan asked nervously, biting his lip.  
Undertaker looked at him. "Not under circumstances like these"  
Eric broke his silence. "The mark"  
I turned my gaze to Grell, who was wriggling in discomfort. I freed him from the tight blanket.  
"We need to know who this belongs to" I said.  
We were all silent. I focused on the contrasts: Grell's hair against the black of the bed covers and against his own pale skin which seemed nearly transparent.  
"That" Undertaker said. "Belongs to the leashed demon we all know as Sebastian Michaelis"  
The information took a moment to sink in. Grell started whimpering and my anger boiled over and spilled.  
"I never should have befriended him. After what he did for me, for Grell, I thought he was different, but he's just the same as all the others: disgusting, vicious, untrustworthy. Look what he's done./ I'll kill him. I'LL KILL HIM!"  
I went to storm out and do just that but Undertaker grabbed me, holding me back.  
"You mustn't do that" he said calmly.  
"Why not!?" Alan shouted, shocking us all. "He deserves to die! Look what he's done!"  
"Exactly!" Eric stated. "Give us a good reason not to!"  
"He was under orders! Crimson did not recognise him because he was in disguise. He was carrying out an order and was told to kill anyone who got in his way, whether that be human, angel, reaper or otherwise. Had it not been an order, he would have avoided it" Undertaker argued.  
"How do you know all of this?" I demanded, twisting out of his grasp and facing him.  
"He told me. He just didn't tell me who he had hurt – or killed, as he thought"  
He grabbed a bottle and cloth from a shelf and sat down on the bed, pulling Grell carefully across his lap. Grell stayed on his back, seemingly relaxing a little as Undertaker used the contents of the bottle to easily wipe away the seal.  
"Is that helping a little?" he said softly before turning his attention back to us. "Besides, think how upset our Grell would be. You know Mr Michaelis means a lot to him"  
After a few moments Eric stepped closer to the bed.  
"How are you getting that off? We couldn't budge it"  
Undertaker just smiled, not replying.  
"I don't understand. There were other demons there too, smaller ones" Alan mumbled.  
I nodded, thinking of todays' assignment, which already felt like weeks ago.  
"Demon's surround those parts a lot" Undertaker told us, setting Grell down again. "Michaelis knew his mission was going to be interfered with, so he stepped in and fought. That's all there is to it"  
I sighed. "I won't kill him, but my old opinions of his have been restored. I never want him in my field of vision again"  
"None of you are going to kill him" Undertaker said. "It will change nary a thing and not help anything. We have our priority right now, hence the weak creature on the bed"  
Grell started yelling in pain, and we all looked at him.  
"I CAN'T DO THIS ANYMORE!" Alan shrieked. "IT'S TOO HORRIBEL TO COPE WITH AND I KNOW I THOUGHT IT WAS MY FAULT BUT-"  
"Alan! Be quiet!" I snapped. "What on Earth has gotten into you?"  
Grell fell quiet and Alan and I started arguing. It wasn't too long before it got physical and Undertaker interfered, grabbing us by the collars and pulling us apart.  
"IT WAS YOUR FAULT FOR LEAVING HIM!" Alan shouted.  
"DON'T YOU _DARE _BLAME ME FOR THIS!" I ROARED. "YOU DON'T-"  
Undertaker cracked our heads together hard, cutting off our words and causing both of us to real backwards, clutching ourselves and glaring at each other.  
"Um, guys?" It was Eric's voice, sounding choke. "W-we need help"


	8. Chapter 8

((Note: I suggest listening to sad James Blunt songs or something))

Chapter 8

We all lost it as Undertaker set Grell's body down on a table in the morgue. When the sudden realisation hit me the floor hit my knees as I howled uncontrollably. I was so caught up in my emotions that I could barely hear the others. I started hyperventilating, throwing up before struggling to my feet and cupping Grell's poor head in my hand.  
"Wake up" I begged, shaking him gently. "Please wake up. You can't leave me. Please don't leave me!"  
I didn't know what to do. I was holding his body but he wasn't there anymore. I let go of him, my hands like claws as I covered my face, looking at him through my fingers.  
"No, please!" I sobbed. "You can't go! Please come back!"  
I knew he was gone but I wouldn't face up to it. I pressed clenched fists to my mouth, looking at his body. This time yesterday we had been in each other's' arms, talking quietly and laughing together, and now he was gone. How could Grell be gone? I shook my head, my fists pressed against my head as I looked at him, and the scared flesh showing horrifically on his near-transparent skin. I'd held him so many times, had him rub his head against me so hat that soft scarlet hair tickled me. I'd cradled his little frame softly and kissed those lips lovingly. That's what I did now, giving him that last kiss. It was all too much and I clung to him as tight as I'd let myself, burying my face in his chest and starting a full blown panic attack as no heartbeat met my ears. I'd never had one of these before. Grell had, and each time I had comforted him, holding him and rubbing his back as I wiped the tears from his face.  
It kept hitting me harder each time that he was dead. He'd undergone a demon attack so bad that it had killed him and it had been a demon he'd loved and trusted.  
"I'll never forgive that Michaelis" I choked.  
I stood back for a moment, finding Eric and Alan gone and Undertaker stood at a respectful distance, tears glistening from under his fringe. In desperation I held my arms out to him, my legs nearly giving way as he accepted me into his hold.  
He took my chin in his thumb and forefinger, tipping my head up so I had to look at him.  
"It will be ok"  
"No it won't!" I wailed. "It'll never be ok, not now! Grell was the only reason I kept going! I can't live without him"  
Undertaker turned me round, leading me back to my poor darling, making me hold the hand that could never hold back. I couldn't move. I bit my bottom lip, trying to stop further sound from passing my lips even though it was obvious I was breaking, shattering more as the seconds passed.  
"I need your old death scythe…" I gasped.  
"You are _not _killing yourself" Undertaker said firmly. "I know you want to be with him, but that's not the right path to go down"  
"I wasn't going to kill myself: I was going to kill the bastard that did this"  
Even as I said it, the idea barely appealed now. Very carefully, I climbed onto the table, lying on my side with and arm round Grell's chest.  
"I love you so much" I whimpered. "I'm sorry for everything I ever did wrong. I'm sorry for arguing with you. I'm sorry I was never good enough for you"  
My uncontrollable sobbing started again, but I felt I had to keep talking to him.  
"You mean everything to me and you always will. You always made me feel better when things were difficult. Whenever I had had a bad day, you'd sit and talk to me and you'd cuddle up to me and purr like a kitten when I stroked your hair, because y-you knew your funny eccentric ways would cheer me up. Y-you, you were the lighthouse of my life an-"  
I couldn't carry on. I kissed his cheek and Undertaker helped me off the table, holding me close and letting me weep in despair against him.


	9. Chapter 9

There was a knock on the door, despite it being way past midnight.  
"Undertaker, may I speak with you?"  
I knew that voice. I lunged at him, punching him square in the nose and slamming him against the wall.  
"You bastard, Sebastian!" I shouted. "You killed him! You killed my Grell, you disgusting little devil!"  
"I did not int-"  
I hit him again and a punch was returned to me, catching me off guard so that I nearly fell over. I recovered quickly and we started a proper fight, one making my earlier one with Alan seem like nothing more than a playground scuffle. At first Undertaker tried to pull us apart but we were quick to free ourselves and fought violently, knocking into things and not holding back. I wanted to keep that scum as far away from Grell as I could, and I wanted him to suffer as I did so.

We weren't relenting. I'd not really used my full strength before, and now that I had, Sebastian was a complete mess of blood in our weapon less combat. I wanted him to pay for what he had done.  
All of a sudden the sound of a belt cracking filled the room.  
"That's enough!" Undertaker barked.  
We stopped, panting and glaring at each other as we were pulled to our feet and help apart.  
"I don't have much to say to either of you" Undertaker frowned. "But listen to me: Michaelis, we shall use you. A miracle form of sorcery has come to mind and it might just work. It will not undo any of this but it will help"  
He led us back over to Grell. I refused to look at the scum responsible, though the sound he emitted showed his remorse. I stood at the end of the table and pressed my lips against Grell's forehead, starting to cry again as the reality of his death hit me again. I bit my lip hard for a moment.  
"If, you love him, why, did you, leave him, there?" Sebastian asked breathlessly.  
I punched him hard in the mouth, breathing heavily.  
"Don't move" Undertaker said, grabbing a bowl from a shelf. "We need your blood"  
I watched as the blood gushed into the bowl, holding Grell's head in my hands, stroking his cheeks with my thumbs to comfort myself.  
"William, you stay where you are" Undertaker said.  
I did as I was told. Undertaker grabbed Sebastian's left wrist, removing his glove and peering at the contract seal. Using his fingers and the Demon's blood from the bowl, he accurately painted the seal over Grell's torso, using most of the blood as he did so. After a moment the wounds over Grell's body began to fade and I gasped as they rapidly disappeared completely. I stared in mad hope. It was such a cliché thought – it couldn't possibly happen, no matter how much I wanted it – and yet I hoped like anything. I sensed the Demon stepping away and glanced up. Undertaker nodded towards me and then to Grell. The skin under my fingers seemed to tingle slightly and I watched as the body flushed, the way it did when he was poorly. Undertaker reached for a cloth and quickly, yet effectively, wiped away all traces of the blood seal. I stared at the mortician, wondering what sorcery he was exercising. All of a sudden the flesh my hands were against felt warm and alive. I looked back at Grell, and behind his glasses, his eyelashes fluttered and his eyes opened. My own eyes widened and for a moment I didn't believe it, just thought his body was weak from lifelessness, but his head jerked and he was violently sick into the bowl Undertaker held for him. He took a moment to compose himself and then he looked at me.  
"W—ill…?"  
I stepped back, tears springing to my eyes, still refusing what was plainly in front of me. He whimpered a little, turning onto his front and pushing himself onto his hands and knees and gradually to a kneel.  
"Grell?" I whispered.  
"Hold me…"  
I gathered him up in my arms, holding him tight and sobbing, kissing his face over and over again, making sure he was really there.


End file.
